A Big Boy Room, Part 2

So earlier this summer I mentioned that our first kid was switching rooms so that the new kid could have his room, which is closer to ours. We bought the big stuff over the summer, just in time for some of our guests to use his new twin bed and trundle. After they had all gone and the house had settled back down, we started finishing things up so he could move in.

new bed and bedding ready to go

Furniture
The last of the furniture finally arrived. Once the bookcase arrived, we loaded it up with all his books, which meant that bedtime stories started happening up there. This was actually a nice way to slowly transition into using the room, before he was quite ready to sleep there. Then we moved in his old dresser and filled it up with his clothes, which forced him to start sleeping in there. Lastly, his new couch arrived. It has legs, but they were proving a little difficult to put on- so we just left them off for now. He loves it - and it's the perfect size and height for him to flop on - so perhaps the legs will remain off for a few years.

the new bookcase - tall enough for his tall books and a few toys

the new couch - no legs

just the right size

Curtain
Meanwhile, I started working on the curtain. I hated the original one, which was ugly and beige and boring, and way too big to squeeze behind the bed. I ordered some fabric from Amazon (incidentally, this is apparently the material used to make the scrubs for National Health Service midwives), and then found a really cheap sewing machine, since mine is in storage back in DC. I simply made a huge lined sheet, and then sewed a tape across the back that creates the pleats. It turned out to be much easier than I expected, and allowed me to use the hardware that was already installed. Then I ordered a fun elephant guy that can hold it open.

new curtain up

closeup of the elephant curtain holder thing

Wall Art
Once the furniture had all been moved in and the curtain was up, it was functional, but not homey. I asked him to pick anything from his old room that he wanted to bring with him - which ended up being almost everything. But there was still lots of blank wall space, so I turned to etsy, of course, and ordered some new stuff.

new wall art behind the couch

a new bunny to go with his owl and squirrel and a new nightlight

So, now he's sleeping up here every night and pretty much settled in. We still have a few things to work out, and maybe a few more things to pick up, but I'm calling this pretty much done.

couch area - feeling cozy for bedtime stories

pretty much done

Another Big Transition
We obviously wanted to get this process started long before the baby arrives so that he could feel settled and not squeezed out, and to help minimize transition and chaos when the baby arrives. However, moving him up to his new room ended up happening during a bunch of other transitions, just by coincidence. First, we ended up moving him in just after returning from a long summer vacation, which is always tricky just because it's hard to switch from full-time vacation mode to the normal work/school schedule. Because it was the end of summer though, he didn't go back to his usual class, he switched to a new class - which is also always difficult because it means new teachers, some new friends, new routines, etc. This transition was even more difficult because he switched from a typical daycare class that he's used to, to a much more intense one, known as "pre-reception" here. All the sudden there is an academic requirement (meaning that they're trying to get him to learn his letters), complete with homework, "intense learning periods", uniforms, and really rigid schedules. The biggest issue has been that they no longer have naps, which he still needs, so he comes home absolutely exhausted every night.  We're trying to strike the right balance of advocating for his needs, while getting on board and helping him meet these new expectations.

Parenting Books and Grains of Salt
Meanwhile, I read a few chapters of "What to Expect While You're Expecting", a popular pregnancy book that I absolutely hate, but that has some useful info about what's happening at each stage of the pregnancy. It reminded me that a lot is going on right now, and that I should take it easy. It suggests letting husbands take over all the housework and chores, while you basically sit around and get a back massage all day (clearly written for first-time moms). So I made a conscious decision to step back a bit and let the spouso pick up some parenting slack, sleeping in a bit on weekends, and skipping out on bedtime routines to give my back a break. Almost immediately, the kiddo freaked out - having ridiculous tantrums over every little thing. With all this transition - it was hard to tell what the problem was - the new room? the new class?

So I picked up another parenting book, "Gentle Parenting", which turns out to be pretty far to the snuggle side of the attachment parenting spectrum. Like the other books I've read, it talked about the importance of building a strong connection with lots of quality time to help avoid the tantrums in the first place. So we made a new "no yelling" rule, and I re-upped my effort to spend more time with him. I'm trying harder to wake up early and spend time on the floor playing every morning, as well as snuggling on the couch after school while dinner finishes up. I'm also trying to take back more of the bedtime routine - bath time in particular, because I can just sit and let him soak himself clean. It seems to be helping a lot - the tantrums have almost completely stopped and the yelling has disappeared.  I just have to find the right balance of taking it easy while spending as much quality time with him as I can.

[Sidenote: this book also covered pregnancy and encouraged drug-free childbirth. It went as far as saying that you don't need drugs because childbirth won't hurt if you do it right - meaning having a very calm and relaxing birth environment. Having done this once already without drugs - I can say there are not enough scented candles in the world to make it anything but the most painful thing I've ever experienced. For the moms who want to feel the pain of childbirth -  I don't understand, but support your choice - but I find it downright wrong to suggest to anyone that it won't hurt. That's just setting women up for a horrible horrible surprise. I am very much looking forward to getting the drugs this time around.]

snuggling on the tube

Anyway - so the kiddo is settled in his new room. He's getting used to his new class and teachers. I'm doing my best to help him with his homework every weekend and spending as much quality time with him as I can. We've got a bit of a groove going, so I'm hoping we can spend the rest of the fall just settling into it before 2nd kid shows up. And with that -  it's time to turn my attention to the baby's room and getting all the baby stuff.